Book Reviews and More: Steven R. McEvoy Q & A IT Employee Spotlight

Monday 23 January 2023

Steven R. McEvoy Q & A IT Employee Spotlight

Steven R. McEvoy Q & A

IT Employee Spotlight

What does a typical workday look like for you?

I do not think there is a ‘typical’ day when it comes to working in IT. But I like to arrive around 6:10, and make a coffee and tea, and be at my desk checking the incidents by 6:20am. I often find that my most productive time is between 620am and 9am. Because of my new role I find I am in more meetings, scheduled and impromptu as the day goes on.

What do you enjoy most about your role here?

I like that I get to stay on top of new and emerging technologies. I love that there are so many talented people on my team and across the IT teams to engage with and work with. I love that there is always something new to learn, and that our technological footprint is ever evolving.

Before working here, what was the most unusual or interesting job that you’ve had?

I was the live on-site year-round director at a Christin Camp, I lived in a cabin on 178 acres and the property was the only one with water access to a private lake.

What has been your proudest moment so far?

When my 9 year old daughter wanted to spare her brother his surgery and body cast, and wanted to take it on for him.

If you could meet anyone (living or dead), who would it be and why?

I would meet the fictional character Vlad Taltos from Steven Brust’s Dragaeran series. I would want to have a mug of Klava with him. I would want to discuss his anger, his fury and his growth.

What has been the greatest challenge that you’ve had to overcome in your life thus far?

I have a dual form of dyslexia. In grade 6 I was told I would never graduate high school. I not only graduated but finished early and as an Ontario Scholar.

What has been the most important innovation that you’ve witnessed in your lifetime?

Just computing power. My first year at Queen’s University I purchased a 386/25 with a math coprocessor and 4 megs of ram. And In my student house it was the best of the 8 computers. I now have eBooks that are larger than the amount of ram I had on that machine. To quote Mike Aquilina "Now we can travel with more books stored in our telephones than the ancient Egyptians kept in their vast library at Alexandria.".

What is one thing that you can’t live without?

Books, I love reading and think I could not survive without books.

What would you most like to tell yourself at age 13?

Listen to the doctors. Let your injuries heal. Sports are not life. You will live much longer than you expect, and all the broken bones, sprains, tears, and separations will come back to haunt you. Learn to choose kindness. Give more and expect less.

What’s one thing that most people probably don’t know about you?

I previously worked as a personal trainer and yoga instructor. Just a few years ago I was teaching 8 classes a week. (But gave it up because of personal convictions.)

Favourite Movie or TV Show:

Reacher or Person of Interest (Updated answer)

Favourite Song:

Gabriel’s Message by Matt Maher

Note: A few years ago, I was asked to fill out a profile for work. It was going to be used internally for corporate communications. It never ended up being used. I stumbled across it recently and liked the answers so decided to share them here for my birthday.